Harts of Albion Library

Ladies and Gentlemen of Albion,

I would like to firstly express my admiration for all those with whom I had the honour to serve whilst in the Summerlands. Odd thought it may sound, it was a genuine pleasure to work with such consummate professionals. To my own "claw", and I hope I spell these correctly, Tiberias, Owain, Diana, Foxglove, Otto and Valkarn: I must thank you for your bravery, your inventiveness and above all your discipline.

Most will know by now that Taliesin was responsible for the safe return of many of us. I spoke with him at some length before our departure and I accepted his price for our safe transportation - it was, in essence, a small thing. I shall do my best to quote him, retaining intent if not the actual words: "When you return, you will do your best to arrange aid for this world. A military intervention will be necessary but not before the land has been purified. While it remains corrupt, the animate unliving (the skeletons, zombies, and so forth) will continue to be consumed and re-animated by the earth making a military solution unattainable."

Hopefully, I have not misquoted too inaccurately. I have no skill with the mystic world - this sounds, to me, more a problem for the incantors and the ritualists amongst us - but there you have it. I believe that many were already looking at this problem and the theory that it may be connected to the severing of links between the Summerlands and ancestral realms.

I shall now be returning to Caer Pendrinn for a well-earned rest - I think I've seen quite enough of Bristol for the moment.

Heinrich von Alfeld
Baron of Teufelstadt
Knight Commander of the Most Noble Order of Knights Panther
Heir to the Malachite Throne of Helvetia

The Tale of Blackened Summer
A personal account by Owain ap Nudd

And it came to pass on a bare moonlit night, ninety score years and nine since the birthing of the first of the line of Nudd, that the Lords of Blackened Summer met in a great hall made from the thigh-bones of drowned maidens.

The Lands of Blackened Summer had withered under their fell gaze, and they sought new lands to conquer. And the Lords said to Dwncyn Bone-face their steward:

"Bring to us the scrying bowl of copper and tin, that we shall see the finest and brightest lands and take them for our own"

And the scrying bowl of copper and tin was brought, and filled with the tears of the Seven Faithless Witches that the Lords should see all the lands in all the worlds under all the suns.

The Lords watched the bowl and their eyes gazed on many fine lands strewn with gold and spices and honey. Nine years they searched, and at last their unkind eyes fell upon Albion.

Fair was this land, with forests of deer and rivers of fish. A fair Queen ruled and a wise Prince counselled her. Doughty its warriors, wise its scholars, forthright its people, plentiful its ale, and full-breasted its maidens.

And the Lords of Blackened Summer lusted for the land of Albion, for the fairest land it was under the sky. And they contrived among themselves with the blackest of sorcery to vomit forth the Lands of Blackened Summer into Albion, and to pour from their bellies seven great armies of envious dead men to slay and ravish the lands of Albion.

And slay and ravish they would have, but for the wise men of the Court of Albion. The wise men foresaw the army and petitioned the Queen, saying

"The Lords of Blackened Summer would take Albion for their own, let us prepare a feast and surfeit of battle for them, that they should know the courage of our warriors"

The Queen saw that her councillors spoke truly and sent her kinsman Huw Big-Knife and his teulu to meet the Lords of Blackened Summer in a field of great stones thrown by the last of the race of giants. Mighty was the battle laid there, and Huw Big-knife struck Tegid Four-Hands, the Warmaster of the Blackened host, with Seven Ungentle Blows so that his four hands landed in four lands beyond the wit of men. And the Lords of Blackened Summer spoke words of black bile and called their armies back to their bellies and out of the lands of Albion. The armies went, but the foul sorceries remained, as foul as the magics of Eomer the Damnable and his Court of Puling Catamites.

And hearing of the Seven Ungentle Blows struck by their kinsman, the maidens of the court cried tears of joy and anguish, and Tyberis the Immortal seized the tears and held them in his hands, and no man knows what he did with them, even to this day. And the wise men of Albion with strength and enchantment and mysteries made to break the sorcery that the Lords had woven. Three uncaring moons passed over their toil, and at the last the enchantment withstood them.

And Cadwrn Wledig who was wiser than the owl and the snake spoke, saying

"The spell shall be broken only by the brightest teulu of the world, and in the Lands of Blackened Summer. Let messengers go to the peoples of Albion, and let their champions and uchelwr come forth and we shall make a teulu that shall shake the stars in the sky"

Thus the Heroes of Albion assembled in the great hall of Castell Wyn. And a teulu of such grace and prowess had not been seen in the lands of Albion since the time that men were giants and could wade the sea to Erin.

And the teulu of Albion were Scaliawn Great-blooded from whose loins poured forth creatures of the forest, and Cai ap Ioilar whose vengeance boiled the sea and cracked the stones, and Hynrich Steel-Face who wore a mask lest he be mistaken for an angel and worshipped, and Trychlwr Flame-Gaze whose eyes ravished the forests of beyond, and Owain ap Nudd, the eldest of the Three Unhappy Brothers, and Tyberis the Immortal who foresaw the first and shall mourn the last, and Rawnt the Beast who howls the spirits from slumber each Spring, and Fryderi the Golden whose gaze brought forth bright flowers and honey, and Sho the Demon whose heart mended the sorrows wrought by his aspect, and Who the Stranger that no man knew save the holiest hermit of Cwmor Tyn Gedd, and Fits Wood-Leaper of no land and all ways, brighter than the spear he bore, and Pelyras Fallen, whose fell-handed lord had cursed to dissolution and drunkenness, and Wiliam the Green who calmed beast and flower with his manner, and Farymyr the Magus of the North whose eye was upon his staff and whose lands were flattened by its gaze, and Otto the Bondsman whose faithfulness lasted beyond the farthest minds of men, and Valcaer the Silent who says three words every nine years that are heard only by the basest and most virtuous, and Dionyrsis son of the Vine who may only be harmed by a blind man's last spittle, and Diana Long-Arm, whose unseen fingers moved the stars in Autumn, and Lery the Good Neighbour whose cups reflected two moons, and Focsglove the Fertile who called the forest deer to her lap.

The Lords of the Dragon Nation saw the teulu, and said

"How can we keep the Bright Spear, when such a teulu is in the world"

and they gave the spear to Fits Wood-Leaper so that the arms of the teulu might match their countenance.

The teulu set forth from the lands of men and journeyed through Annwn and the Forests of Lost Children and the Mirrored Lands. And what they saw and what they did in these lands no man yet knows. And thus they came to the Lands of Blackened Summer.

Legions of envious dead watched the Spell-Stone of Blackened Summer for their lords, and the teulu set upon them like furies, while Scaliawn Great-blooded seized the stone in his mighty claws and rent it into a score of shards. And each shard he ground to dust and ate, that the Lords of Blackened Summer might never again tread the lands of Albion.

And a battle took place that night that made the stones and trees hide themselves in tremulous terror, and the spirits of the place pull their eyes from their heads. Blood flowed in rivers and the limbs of the envious dead made piles higher than the Stone of Caer Glas.

And when the battle was done, and dawn broke across the lands of Blackened Summer, the legions of envious dead were routed to the farthest corners of the land, there to lick their wounds with dust-covered tongues.

And Hynrich Steel-face spoke, saying

"The road we came to this place upon is clogged with the legs of dead men, and the road onward is clogged with the arms of dead men. How shall we find a way back to Albion?"

The teulu had no answer, so they sent out the fleetest of them to find a way back to the Blessed Land. Fryderi the Golden went to the North, and Sho the Demon went to the South. Who the Stranger went to the East, and Fits Wood-Leaper to the West.

And came back only three, for Fits Wood-Leaper had found the palace of Blackened Summer and struck the walls with the Bright Spear and brought the roof down upon his head and the heads of those within. And the Maidens and women of all lands cried tears for the passing of one so bright.

No road home was found, but two places were seen in the uttermost distance. One was a manor, with bright music playing, and the other a grove of the darkest of Tylwyth Teg.

Pelyras the Fallen, and Dionyrsis son of the Vine, and Who the stranger spoke saying

"We shall not find a road home, but stay here and heal this place so that it shall be again a fitting home for men".

And with joy and sorrow they went their way. And what they did is a story for another day.

And the teulu went to the manor, and a bard of old was playing there. The bard spun a tale of Albion and life and death, and none were there that did not cast their tears upon the ground to hear it so. And they brought the bard with them.

The teulu went then to the grove of the Tylwyth Teg and Tyberis the Immortal wove a mighty magic to call them. Wilder were they than the beast of the mountain, and they longed for blood to nourish themselves.

And the bard played a mighty reel, and the Tylwyth Teg danced a mighty dance, and the veil between worlds was sundered. The teulu awoke in the palace of Cadwrn Wledig. But Cai ap Iolair was not with them, and what happened to him no man may say.

And a great joyous carousal flourished in that fair hall, and the peoples of all nations came to see the teulu of Albion in their great victory. And the teulu drank and caroused, and wise men talked of philosophy and magic, and the beastmen rutted most lustfully, and the Queen birthed a fine son so great was her joy. The hall itself danced to the sounds of the bards there assembled, and many fine speeches were heard in those days.

And Albion did prevail.

And this is the end of the Tale of Blackened Summer.

s'Kalion's Official Report

Mission Title: BREAKING THE MOLD
Name: S'KALION
Rank : MISSION COMMANDER (TEMPORY)
Desingnation: SMALL INSERGENCE FORCE
Reporting to: THE COMMITY
Date: 05/05/1100
Budget: SPECAIL

FINAL FORCES SELECTION;

PLEASE ISSUE REPORT IN STANDARD NOTATION
Our mission was destroy gate, get home. Nice and easy nuffing there to confuse anyone, no subplots no alternative mission scenarios, nuffing to worry about...

11:50 Atmosphere was good, troops happy each Claw commander chosen his boyz and girlz, Freddy and his boyz all tip top, Swords of the four winds split up enchantments checked, Cadarn drained of all his great magic’s so nuffing to keep us here except the beer, best we get moving. Down to Gate where we drinks potion to fill us with courage and hide us from dem unliving. The Gate waits, well it can wait a little bit longer, Elmwood blesses us all says good rousing words, and now we is ready. Freddy and his scouts take running rump at gate and the rest of us (in two columns) charge on through.

01:30 Well that was interesting, we are sitting in the remains of a small village, the buildings are all falling apart (best thing for dem really) every one has been fighting for last two hours and this is the first respite we have had.

So we comes through the gate as planned Freddy and his lads av moved up to the ridge around the gate and is finding us a way out, the two claws leave the area of the gate as soon as poss, me moves to stone thing, Den it all get messy, some unliving commanda can see us and he’s yelling at his troops to chop us down, but they can not see us, he soon realizes dis and start ordering his troops to chop the air, now there’s a lot of dem and not much air so da squads have scattered using cunning chaos leaf theory what we have planned (basical every one runs in random direction and confuses enemy). So anyways I’m lying on da floor by stone makin me self very very small I wait till lots of skinless nice and close den I smash Tiberiases gem, sure as eggs is yummy da stone breaks and da gate vanishes, only problem is I was hopin for a big bang not a sort of fluppy sound. Oh well time to run me thinks, so I does.

It don’t take too long for us to regroup, dem skinless ones still can’t see us so its just a matter of keeping quite. Nasty moment when Dianna and Lerri can’t found but they soon turn up, Dianna has nasty cut but dats soon healed,. So its about 00:25 now and we already don half mission, easy or what eh!

Time for second stage of plan, Da sneakies go off while we all lie low dey gonna look for next hide-out, while they gone we gets rumbled but we in Claws now so no real problem, the cursed ones fall like dead leafs in a storm, strange thing is though they melt into ground, me thinks this mean dey gonna be coming back real soon, dis is one place where force of arms ain’t gonna win, Sneakies come back and lead us to next hideout, den while the Claws rest sneakies move on and find next stop, I remember thinking at time dat we gonna be relying on dem Boyz a lot over the next few days. I fink we must have moved five or more times over the next hour and a bit always sneakies find nice spot we rest they run, always we move away from where da gate and three undead armies where, its might just be working cos we have rested for about an hour now wif no trouble, even da sneakies have had a sit down.

Oh dear

Wraiths have just been spotted coming our way, dis is gonna be tough...

02:00 Ok me just got time to make notes wraiths all chopped and we not loose anyone, one tough fight though, worst yet.

Sneakies have found thick woods at top of hill, we gonna make a run for it but its along way over difficult ground, we might not all make it...

02:45 Well not as bad as me thought, Sneakies done good job of finding us clear path, but we did have nasty moment when we suffered our first loss Pellases Right boot what has served him well for many years, surrendered under the strain and collapsed, good job Pellas got spare in pack!

So hear we is, we in heavy cover surround by dry bracken and thick blackthorn, we should get good notice of any attack.

03:00 We can hear foxes and night-jars calling and dey don’t do that with armies wandering around, maybe they losses us. Most of the Claws are sleeping Me and the sneakies stay waiting in da inky blackness, I like inky blackness, Den all of a sudden Fitz starts on da weed, bad boy he light up whole wood, me gonna kick his but when we get home.

03:45 Well it took dem along time but dey found us, we can see a wraith moving into our area. Wriath seem unsure he not come close enough for me to get him I think he’s gone to get his mates...

04:30 We are resting now, but the last run was hard, so hard in fact dat Fitz and Heinrich is separated.. or worse, it happened like this;

We was attacked by the wraiths but our position was easy to defend, we was chopping up dem skinless so well dat there boss called dem all back "All Unliving to me I command thee" he said so figuring dat they was planning a big push we buggered off, The Claws now move like the Sneakies, they are silent even in the dry braken, now if the Claws is made of warroirs and mages and healers and da such and dey is moving silently you can imagine what the sneakies are like, they move like the wraiths silent, deadly dey do not leave a track where dey has been and de unliving seam unable to second guess dem, Oh one important difference between our boyz and da wraith is our eyes don't glow, so maybe our boyz is better yes ! anyways we was moving from our hiddey hole when they caught us in de open like da professionals they are they all dropped to the ground and did not make a noise, me and the sneakies was already in da trees but everyone else was in de open, The skinless had not yet seen us they was in da same clearing but had not spotted the 15 people in front of them he. he. he., anways they was getting closer and closer when in da distance we heard "All Unliving to me I command thee" now da unliving all turned around and started trumping off towards the sound, coarse we know its not one of der bosses but Sho, we'd sent him off in de uffer direction and told him to shout it when he'd counted to lots and lots, I was beside myself wiff giggling, but dey didn't hear me. After a while the skinless realized it was trick but by den they had moved off so they not find us, until a ghoul I fink it was tripped over one of da boyz at da back coarse all hell breaks loose den, fortunately da unliving all spread out so no big problem. After while sneakies find us large house thing to sit in but we hear sounds of large force coming our way so we moves off quickly, maybe bit too quickly cos when we get to nice spot Fitz and Heinrich is missing. So me leave everybodies wiff Cia in charge send da sneakies of to get next place sorted and I go find da lost boyz.

04:45 I got dem but it was tricky dey looked like shadows and so did I maybe me paint dem up too well, but now we all together again, we got a river to cross so best get to it.

04:55 Nearly lost Who, he was checking out some voices that sounded human but guess what it was a trap, he escaped that but ran into two ghouls dat was tailing us fortunately me and Hienrich had decided to investigate and we found dem just about to tuck in !

Its getting lighter and the attacks are fading with da dawn, thank the ancestors, Da sneakies think they have found a village so we is off there now.

05:15 Well it’s a village, but things is getting complicated, we talked to one called Jack who knows of da Bard, but it seams that some of my merry band have a theory about him. Pellas and Dionisys recon da Bard’s a Vampire! And will except no help from him, must admit da evidence is strong and dey have a point, Jack will not be drawn on da matter and says that the Bard can help us if we help dem save one of their number who has been captured by a Lich Lord, Also we can get some shut eye in the village if we hides all our weapons, no chance if things is that dodgy we sleep in da woods. Jack reckons we is mad but in the blink of an eye my boyz is out of site and its like we was never hear, Owain is going to sleep in da village just to see what's going on.

Now me gets big surprise, some of da boyz is planning to stay ! Da queen is gona kill me! oh well suppose me not get any cake no more.

Owain's found out what's going on in da village alright, Vampires come to feed on the villagers, one of them took a chunk out of him but he scared them off, this could be big trouble.

07:00 Some of the villagers speak of the Fae who live in hollow trees, some of us go and have a look around, lots of hollow trees, and one with a face, must show it to Tiberias when he wakes up.

08:00 Da villagers share their food with us, it's a sort of mud which sticks to anything but it fills a hole so best not complain don't think these villagers has had meat in months, I send r'Ant out hunting with ph'Ox but they catch nothing, this land is in a bad way.

08:30 Just come back from showing Tiberias da tree with a face, it bit ph'Ox ! and another tree tripped Tiberias, we have found the Fae, they could offer us a way home but dey always want somfing in return.

While me makin notes dey try feeding da tree with water, I told dem water not what these trees want dees trees aren't the water drinking type these trees feel like wolves and hungry ones too, maybe I try somting...

Yup it worked me use Fitzs's spear to cut my hand and then me feed tree, it drank all I could give it, Leri and Tiberias think it is getting stronger.

Fitz gave it some blood and da tree seamed to try to talk to him, but fitz not all fey, so next Tiberias will try, but before we could try a scout from da resistance come and

Jack says dat a Lich is on his way with a small army da Vampire what bit Owain has reported us, we armor up and choose our ground. Problem is der is five roads and we is in der middle, we will just have to sit here and act fast when dey show up.

11:30 Nasty battle we nearly lost it, five human archers tricked us, they turned up offering to help, I said no and sent them out of harms way, coarse as soon as fight kicks ofd dey come in on side of Litch, I got stuck by lots of bolts, hurt like hell, we also combined the four wind swords, I was hopeing for something offensive what we got was nice but not against the enemy we was fighting, my rash decision has left us three enchanted blades down, oh umm. The Litch managed to burn da village so Jack says we must move to another village is about 2 hours away so we better get moving. But before we go we pay visit to da trees, I feed it first and it nearly took my arms off! The power in this place is growing, so Tiberias went next, we where just arranging all sorts of protection for him when he just went and dun it himself, can’t blame him the ancestors like impulse it shows you have spirit, anyway da tree takes most of his arm off but makes a deal "Aid at the turning" Jack says this means dusk.

13:30 Well here we are, as we left the village it was attacked, Val-karn got paralysed by a ghast, not seen one of these before, nothing seams to be able to cure him, so we healed him and put him somewhere safe (on my back!) on the trip we is attacked lots, Dianna is getting good with her spells, shattering weapons and making da zombies fall over at just the right moment he he he. But it was along march in hot sun, had to stop lots for water, in the end Freddy and me stayed at back and delt with anything that chased us, Freddy is looking tied, but he keeps going at his work the unliving turn on each other we defeated may this way and took no damage ourselves, but I wonder how long we can keep it up.

The attack ran out after a while and we reached the new village, looks and smells the same as the last one although the people seem to have a little more will, they shared there food and we rested, as I write dis everyone is asleep, except for Cia who seams to have found a King or something, I can hear him promising all sorts of things, better go and have a chat...

Jack says da Bard thanks us for doing da Litch but we are still looking for another way out, all der way here Tiberias says the tree spirits followed us and there is another grove here too.

15:00 We here dat the Litch dat captures a resistance fighter, its in a compound nearby, so its time I went and woke some dozing heroes.

18:00 We suffered our first losses in the rescue mission, and we are now "hiding" in the Fae grove, The Pack was brilliant, they did not deserve to loose two friends but sometimes no matter how hard you plan the Ancestors of war demand a sacrifice.

We wait now for dusk, when our aid from the Tree sprits should arrive and also da Bard should turn up, William, Freddy and I all think he maybe an escaped Vampire from Marchwood, well we will see. Who and Sho are out looking for signs of the two we lost; Cia and Fitz I find this da hardest part of being da boss, I never loss anyone before, and deciding not to risk a full counter attack was da hardest thing I ever do, I hate the hot weather, for years da Beatmen never cried It was nasty shock to discover dat dat was only cos our tears froze before dey run down our face, but in these hot places we cry.

Well I suppose I’d better report what happeneded;

Da plan was good, we knew we could not risk a full frontal attack so Freddy, Dionysis and me come up with sneaky plan, Freddy has one shot invisibility to unliving, Dionysis has two scrolls of same so he puts one on himself and keeps one for da captive, he and Freddy go round da back of da stockade, we make loads of noise cos they only invisible to small unliving so we draw out all da big boyz, den we do special fighting retreat and bobs your packmate! First part of plan go fine but dey have skeletons dat can't be hit by nothing dis takes us a little by surprise but da Pack deals with it well, falling back all da time drawing out da enemy away from Freddy and Dionysis, BUT we gets caught by some nasty tangley terran and some of the boyz go down I push forward but next thing me knows I'm doing a Twelve-Pies and getting cut off and butchered! I go down barely conscious. Fortunately everyone is back up and dey pull back, I opens one eye and sees a couple of skellies draggin Lerri my way, once dey have past I jump on dem, same time as Freddy and Dionysis turn up with da girl so that's Me freddy, Dionysis William and Lerri and Resistance girl all by ourself behind da lines, so we dodge off da path and make our way back to da village, as we leave da Litch turns up with a Ghast, oh dear I thinks but Freddy turns da ghast on da Litch da litch trys to turn him back but fails, while he's destroying one of his own we run off. BUT unknown to us Cai and Fitz Have had to do a stand cos da unliving is coming on too fast for everyone to get away, it looks like dey gave themselves to save da rest of da pack, well what can me say, dey may have been born as Human/Fae but dey died as a Beastie. Dey will be remembered.

So we got back but unliving still follow us we have nasty fight in village before rest turn up, in de end da Resistance girl we rescued ran off while we was distracted and Jack was also killed, he may have been serving a Vampire but none of us can judge him, he made da best of a terrible situation and he tried to help his people, one day we will clean this land and dat is der best way we can honour him. Well Who and Sho have come back and der was no sign of Cia and Fitz just evidence of big fight. I sent dem straight off again to wait at da village for da Bard, I must keep Who busy Cia was as brother to him. Oh I think dey bring da Bard now so I'd better straighten my fir, looks like Da mystery about him is about to be revealed...